Picnic??!!! Who am I kidding!!!!! LOL
The Open University has a lot to answer for, of which I am eternally grateful!!! It was in 2008 whilst I was studying AA315 Renaissance Art that I came across this 1508 engraving entitled 'The Pilgrims' by Lucas van Weyden. I found
I kept going back to look at it! I was captivated by this depiction of everyday life! This couple taking a break from
their pilgrimage, and companionably sharing a snack along the road. I learnt
about the badge of the pilgrim, the shell, and after that shells seemed to crop up in art works everywhere! The pilgrims in this picture could well be on their way to Santiago!
I have looked up my course book and re read the three paragraphs that obviously left an indelible memory! I reproduce them here, written much more succinctly than I can! (Besides I'm awake in the middle of the night, and this might just get me back to sleep!!)
"One of the most important status
markers for the poor was perhaps the pilgrim's badge. The road of pilgrimage
was open to all ranks, as inns and
convents provided pilgrims en route with free accommodation. A pilgrimage was officially undertaken to fulfil a religious vow. By 1500, though, visits to renowned relics and miraculous
images had become a form of tourism.
Paupers could even earn money by making the sacred journey on behalf of a rich person. Amongst the most popular destinations were the sepulchre of the apostle St. James in Santiago da
Compostela in Spain and the Veronica in
St. Peter's in the Vatican - the veil Saint Veronica used to wipe Christ's face on
the way to Calvary, leaving an imprint of his face on the fabric.
Pilgrims' badges were, in their simplest guise, cheap tokens cast in lead or pewter or stamped in tin or brass foil, which were sold as souvenirs at the holy sites. They took the shape of an image or symbol associated with the shrine at which they were issued, such
as the familiar scallop shells from
Santiago da Compostela, or medallions
with the vernicle: the stark frontal image of the face of Christ as it appears on the Veronica. Pilgrims returning
from these sites wore the badges pinned to their hats. An early sixteenth-century engraving by the Netherlandish artist Lucas van Weyden (c. 1494 - 1533), for example, shows a pilgrim couple sitting down for a small picnic along the way. Their
characteristic headwear bears scallop shells - possibly but not necessarily obtained in Santiago da Compostela - and badges of the Veronica.
The badges were believed to protect the wearer against evil. At a price range
that was roughly equivalent to one-
tenth to one-third of the daily wages of a Florentine mason, for a dozen badges, they were also among a few luxury goods marketed specifically for consumers with a very small purse
(although much more glamourous versions in gold and silver existed). With sales figures running into the hundreds of thousands, the Church can
claim to be the first to have successfully exploited the economic potential of mass consumption. Their large scale manufacture and unpretentious
execution means that pilgrims' badges belong to an area of material culture that is not normally included in art-historical surveys. Yet, for the great
majority of the population, they were a form of craftsmanship more familiar and
accessible than many of the works of Renaissance art admired today. A pilgrim's badge was a simple type of jewellery; it signified, moreover, that its owner had travelled far and seen exotic places, it offered those who were otherwise condemned to a fairly colourless existence an opportunity to
shape a more interesting identity for themselves".
I like to think that I can identify with these ancient pilgrims, and their sense of adventure! I've got my hat, and so has David! Glad I'm not walking alone or in a dress! :)
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